Blog

Chester bus driver goes punch crazy

Saturday, August 2nd, it seemed like a normal day for the passengers of a local bus service in Chester.

Published: Wednesday November 19, 2014

Saturday, August 2nd, it seemed like a normal day for the passengers of a local bus service in Chester.

But Christopher Plant ensured it became a memorable one.

On a bus full of passengers, Plant 'saw red'. In a fit of rage, he exited the bus and proceeded to violently attack Danny Buckley, a white van driver. What was the cause of this animosity? Mr Buckley was driving in the bus lane (accidentally, according to his lawyer). This may seem a huge overreaction to you and I, but given Plant's background, things become a little clearer.

District Judge, Michael Abelson, described Plant as a 'violent' man and questioned the sense in employing a man to drive a bus given that he was banned from driving as recently as January 2010. Plant's previous convictions include assault, criminal damage, battery involving a baseball bat and drink driving. He was even wearing a tag when he turned up at work! The mind truly boggles.

A criminal record check and driving licence would have told the company employing Plant everything they needed to know about his suitability to drive a public bus. A laissez faire approach to properly vetting employees cannot be tolerated; it's criminal.

GBGroup, who are based in Chester, offer online solutions to provide you with the information you need to make better recruitment decisions. With market-leading criminal record checking services and a robust driving licence verification solution, we can protect your organisation's reputation against instances such as this.